Have You Thought About How Color Fits In Your Life By Roz Denny Fox

Are you open to the light and wonders of the universe? It is said that the darkest hour is just before the break of dawn when sunrise begins to spread fingers of light throughout the world.
I love color. I like to see how I can fit color into my stories, from something as basic as picking eye and hair colors for my characters, to building the landscape in and around where they work and live.
Until a friend gave me a book titles: "The Encyclopedia of Birthdays" written by Theresa Cheung, and author versed in New Age subjects such as popular psychology and parapsychology, I'd never considered color being anything beyond preferential.  It didn't occur to me that color could have healing benefits.
I am drawn to rainbows. I thought everyone felt uplifted when a rainbow arcs across a blue or gray sky. According to Ms. Cheung, color therapists believe each of the seven colors on the rainbow spectrum is significant to an individual's personal harmony.  I have no supporting information to tell if this may be true, but it's sure to make for good conversation.
So, color therapists say:
Red--promotes energy, empowerment and stimulations.  It's thought to improve circulation.
Orange--promotes pleasure, enthusiasm and sexual stimulation. And it has anti-bacterial properties.
Yellow--is a sensory stimulant associated with wisdom and clarity.  It's thought to have decongestant properties.
Green-- located in the middle of the color spectrum it's surmised to affect balance.  The color green is calming and may have antiseptic, germicidal properties.
Blue--promotes communication and knowledge. It may eliminate toxins.
Indigo--is also sedative and calming.  It may help enhance intuition.
Violet--promotes enlightenment, revelation, and spiritual awakening. Holistic providers often use violet to relax muscles and calm the nervous system.

Another friend of mine who works with color reminded me that pure white is a composite of all color and she considers that to be the main source of strength.
Color analysts or chromatherapists believe each color vibrates with its own energy. Their work is built on ancient claims that color has religious and mystical significance.
Newer studies go beyond the religious and mystical to solid research in actual biochemical reactions to colored light. They are working in our military hospitals with color.
I find all of this an intriguing concept. However, all I really know is that I gravitate to clear, bright, warm colors.  Hmmm---so where is the energy they suggest I should get from wearing the color red? Maybe color needs to be combined with youth--like Tara mentioned in yesterday's BlogSpot.
Okay--this is my 14th blog on this site. Consider yourselves lucky I decided not to also explore numerology. Sorry, numbers don't excite me like color and words do. How about you all?

Comments

  1. I always adore your posts, Roz- lucky for us there have been 14 so far and more to come! My favorite color has always been pink- it's such a gentle, romantic color and when I combine it with shades of purple, white and yellow in my garden, I have such a great place to write. Thank you so much for this reminder to remember the importance of color in our lives!

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  2. I always adore your posts, Roz- lucky for us there have been 14 so far and more to come! My favorite color has always been pink- it's such a gentle, romantic color and when I combine it with shades of purple, white and yellow in my garden, I have such a great place to write. Thank you so much for this reminder to remember the importance of color in our lives!

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  3. Karen, I don't know why your note posted twice, but I'll answer it here. I think of the colors you want in your garden as a typical English garden. When we used to go to Victoria, BC and see the gardens there, the lavenders, pinks, white and purple were everywhere and were so lovely to walk through.

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  4. My favorite color is red, and according to your rainbow definition, it probably fits.

    BTW, I used to be a kindergarten teacher. I can remember giving students pictures of the rainbow where they had to color correctly Roy G. Biv. Then, crayon discontinued indigo!

    I had my class write a letter! It wasn't very calming LOL

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  5. I've always loved red and violet Roz! A big fan of the "deep" jewel tone colors like emerald green, things like that. :)

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    1. Sorry Roz...this is Denise A. Agnew. I forgot to sign my note! I'm the one who replied above. :)

      Denise A. Agnew
      www.deniseagnew.com

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  6. Pam, you are so funny. I'm sure it wasn't calming to find that the people who made colors discontinued a very important rainbow color.

    Denise, I love the jewel tones, too. When the big thing used to be to be color draped, I was always told I was a "fall". But I loved the clear, winter colors of white, black, clear red, and green. Go figure.

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  7. Roz - Here we are with yet another fascinating subject! My mother always said she "vibrated to red." Ron loves red also, and all fall colors. My favorite is yellow. No indication of wisdom and clarity yet, but perhaps if I drape myself in it . . . I'm a 'winter,' though, and not supposed to wear it. Maybe if I can find a yellow tiara!

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  8. I love this post! This is really interesting! Thanks for posting!

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  9. Really great topic, Roz. As you know I already delve into the mystical so I'm not unfamiliar with this info and am very pleased to see this info spread. My favorite color is red (right now) because I believe it energizes me. Oh, and I like numbers, especially big ones when they're in my checking account, but seriously the topic is every bit as fleshed out and the info on color. Thanks for the post, I enjoyed it.

    P.S. Do you know that pink is supposedly the most calming color and they often use it in hospitals and prisons. Interesting . . . no?

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    1. My dear friend has a pink and white kitchen (I've never seen that before!) and we all love to gather there and nibble and talk forever! The fact that she's a wonderful woman helps, I'm sure.

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  10. Connie, I should have consulted you when I dug into writing about color and health. It's interesting that you say you gather different colors depending on what you feel is a need in your personal health and well being.

    Muriel, maybe we can really incorporate any of the colors in our lives on a limited basis no matter what season we are. A pink kitchen sounds so retro to me. I remember (ahem--when I was an infant) that pink and black kitchens were all the rage.

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  11. Hi Roz (with a happy wave to Muriel),
    Good blog topic. I love color, too. Particularly the jewel tones. The deeper the better. Does that make me a drama queen??? LOL

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  12. Yay for color!
    I redid my writing room about a year ago in white with black accents...I barely go in there anymore. That room needs another update.
    I love red, too. My kitchen has mostly red accent appliances, but lately I've been seeing all these pictures of pink or turquoise kitchens on Pinterest and they are so fun.
    Smeg makes all sorts of colors of refrigerators, including pink! Time to buy that beach house and go all out. :-)
    Thanks for the post. Ever since last week's, I've been really paying attention to how I hold my Kindle.

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  13. Roz, it seems like good luck that your 14th blog appears on the 14th!

    Now I'm curious to learn more about colors...sounds like it could even be a diagnostic tool. (Not that I'm planning to diagnose anybody.) But it's an intriguing idea. :)

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  14. I love color, too, Roz, and this is a most interesting topic. I'm looking at the walls in my living room and laughing...sherbert orange on one (promoting enthusiasm)and lime green on the other (calming). No wonder I'm feeling conflicted right now!

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  15. Hi Roz,I love rainbows too...although I am always struck with a desire to chase it and see if there is a pot of gold at its end. I guess sea-shell pink is my favorite color. The entire interior of my house (including the ceilings)are painted that color,so depending on the light the shade varies from almost cream to peach to pink. I love when strong color palets are used to help tell a story. I just saw the new Superman movie 'Man of Steel' and I felt the director used shades of grey (maybe to emphasize the steel in Man of Steel) to set the movie's tone and emotion. Thanks...I wonder what it says about me that I tend to wear a lot of brown and black.

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  16. Love everyone's comments. My house--yikes I have blah beige everywhere I turn. You ladies who have lovely colors in your personal spaces are probably much more content and happier. So, Laurie---diagnose that...

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  17. Hi Roz!

    Interesting post! I love white and any shade of blue. Our home was a lottery showhome in 2001, when deep purple paint schemes were popular in homes, so we have eggplant and different shades of beige throughout our home, but we did my son's room in a bright blue for the bottom half of his walls, then a sky blue for part of the wall and the ceiling. Then we painted white clouds over it. His room is my favorite in our house:)

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  18. Hi Roz,
    Interesting blog post! I love color, and my favorite is red. So why do I only have three colors in my closet? Most of it is black and white with some red here and there. Unfortunately most colors of red don't look that great with my coloring, but I do what I can.:-) I studied colors and their effect on people a long time ago in my marketing classes (oh, what those advertising people do...;-) ) and always find it a fascinating subject...as is most anything. I think it comes with being a writer! Great post! Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers,
    Linda

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  19. That last message was me, Roz. Wonder why it showed up as unknown?

    Linda Style

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  20. Great post, Roz. I'm another fan of jewel colors, though I prefer lighter color tones for rooms. Unfortunately, my entire house is "Navaho white" which was the style when we bought in the 80s. I've wanted to do some painting, but dh likes the off-white. I'm still hoping for a peach kitchen.

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  21. Linda, sometimes I think this blog has gremlins lurking around. For the record if people don't know Linda Style who writes wonderful Superromance books (she's a Holt merit winner this year) she looks fab in anything she wears. I always envy her because she looks so put together.

    Jennifer, probably the reason your son's room is your favorite is because you planned it for him. I love the idea of the clouds on the ceiling.

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  22. I too love color. When I was young, I secretly liked red but would never admit it. Every one of my classmates liked that color, and I had to be different. I told everyone I liked blue. So I got a blue bike. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that I got the red bike I always wanted.
    My favorite colors are pure red and sunny yellow, not the bleached out yellow I see so often. And I like wearing them together. I wore a yellow dress to a conference one year with red accessories, shoes, belt and jewelry. My friend Jane Toombs told me she liked it so much she used the outfit for one of her characters.
    Marion

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  23. I learned about the healing properties of colors from an old Native American man who came through the area with a faith healer. He was so interesting. We would talk about colors, and rocks. That is why most of the time, I always have a rock with me. I haven't thought about this in many years. Great post Roz and thank you for stirring up some nice memories for me. And I too am always happier after seeing a rainbow in the sky. God's promise and it's just beautiful.

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  24. My home has a lot of muted greens...earthy like in the sage/olive family. Whenever I have visitor, they comment on how soothing the house feels.

    My bedroom is a little more blue...another soothing color...but it's also a muted and light silvery gray blue.

    I love red accents, but it's the warm, earthy reds I go for.

    As for clothes, I wear so much black it's not funny. It's my comfort color with clothes.

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  25. I guess I need to comment about the last great comments from Marion, Gail and Rula. My blog is getting extra face time because I guess others are off doing more fun stuff than writing a blog.
    I think color defines us in many ways. And what we wear isn't necessarily what we surround ourselves with in our homes. That's interesting, too.

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